Are reputable companies operating in the south half of Van Wert County? Many of the area residents are being subjected to high-pressure sales techniques to either lease or waive property rights by companies that are in the business of harvesting government subsidies using wind energy as the tool of choice. It appears that four LLC’s are colluding to do business here as one developer with little liability and accountability.

Ironically, these are registered in the state of Delaware, the only state in the nation, where ownership is hidden and protected compared to Ohio where ownership is revealed. This can easily turn into a financial disaster for our local governments and the wind site landowners.

These Virginia-based companies are reported to not always pay their suppliers as in the case with Ambassador Steel Fabrication of Auburn, Indiana, and the Hoopeston Wind site (Illinois) which resulted in the filing of 1.4 million dollar liens against over 40 leased landowners’ properties. The same wind farm had 39 more mechanic liens placed in favor of NCSG Crane and Heavy Haul Service at $2,444,703.76 per lien.

Our townships and county also might be left with very large repair and restoration costs that would have to be recovered by tax increases or assessing the host landowners because of these companies under compensating on road repair.

The Blue Creek Wind industrial site had some landowners waiting a lengthy time for the first payment to come through. In the meantime a second company tried to purchase the rights to the turbine. For those who succumbed, it turned into a one time payment with the landowner giving up all future rights or income.

Van Wert County could turn into a pathetic junk zone with little hope of recovery after these companies leave, as little or no bond is required to meet the decommissioning costs as the service life ends unless we can recover the costs from the host landowners. The hope of the schools will be dashed.

These 660-foot behemoths might come with some very unpleasant surprises!

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